Welcome to Cheri's 20 Questions! My interviewee today is the amazing Katie Masters. Katie writes in several genres including YA and fantasy, drinks too much tea, and is constantly trying to convince her cat he's not a dog. She lives in Southern California and stays indoors as much as possibly because she never tans, which works out well since it enables her to spend her time writing about all the places she can't live.

Tell us a little something about what you write, Katie: I write a little bit of everything except historicals and self-help books. I don't think you'd want my advice. I'm currently writing (in no particular order) a sci-fi, a paranormal romance, a Middle Grade sci-fi fantasy, and a fantasy book. And a graphic novel. Did I mention I write everything? When I write you can usually expect sarcasm and wit. Or at least wit. Oh god, I hope it comes out witty.

Interview Questions:Cheri:What is the first book that made you cry?

Katie: The first book that made me cry was Tamora Pierce's Alanna series. I cried because it ended and I didn't want it to. Which I prefer over crying because a character died. Just saying.

Cheri: Does writing energize or exhaust you?

Katie: It depends on the day! Some days it energizes me and I'll go all day and all night. Other days I'll write two lines, eat an entire bag of crackers with brie, and be exhausted just from those two lines.

Cheri: If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?

Katie: You want honesty? I'd tell my younger self 'you're still going to feel like you're not a great writer, but you must be because your books got picked up. But you won't completely believe it. Also, you have a lot of really wonderful friends who know how to correctly spell your name. Good job!'

Cheri: How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?

Katie: If I'm being honest, it hasn't really. At least, not yet. I have come to realize however, that my procrastination knows no bounds, but that when I'm given a hard deadline for some reason I produce a lot of work very quickly. I wonder why....

Cheri: What was the best money you ever spent as a writer?

Katie: The best money I'm about to spend as a writer, is paying for an amazing illustrator to draw for my graphic novel I've written (or rather, am still writing).

Cheri: What was an early experience where you learned that language had power?

Katie: Oh man. Well, that'd have to be the time as a kid I once conned a bunch of little kids to give me their puddings in exchange for telling them a story I made up. The realization that I could get food for stories was a powerful motivator, and I made up a bunch of stories that month, let me tell you!

Cheri: What’s your favourite under-appreciated novel?

Katie: Hands down, Mara, Daughter of the Nile. It is beautiful and amazing and if you haven't read it (and a lot of you haven't, because you're staring at me saying 'what the heck is that?'.) you really should!

Cheri: As a writer, what would you say is your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?

Katie: Caite, or as she's known in twitter, Paperfury, is my spirit animal. If you don't know who she is—oh wait, you do, because everyone knows her—then go look her up. I'm making your life better by doing this. You're welcome.

Cheri: How many published, unpublished, and half-finished books do you have?

Katie: I have two (soon to be three) published novels (well, one's a novella). I have exactly four lifetimes worth of novels to write, and three years worth of half-finished books, currently. Think about that. Let that soak in. Four lifetimes.

Four.

Cheri: What does literary success look like to you?

Katie: To me it's being able to afford a place to live in southern California with a yard for my cat-dog, spending my days writing full time, being able to pay artists to make more comics, gushing over cosplayers who cosplay my characters, draw fanart, and write fanfic, and pretending like I'm in complete control of my life (haha) while I walk on set of one of my books that's being filmed for a TV series.

And never having to worry again about if I have enough money to buy more tea or a vintage teacup.

Cheri: What do you feel is the best way to market your books?

Katie: If I knew that answer to that question I'd be famous already. Probably.

Cheri: What kind of research do you do, and how much time do you typically spend researching before beginning a new book?

Katie: This is tricky. It depends on the book. But I'm a research addict (just ask anyone I've ever talked to including the cop I met in the deli who I asked how much his gun weighed.) and to attempt a guess on how much research I've done for a particular book I would place it at at least three hundred hours of research. For my YA book, Brenna Morgan and the Iron Key, not only did I go to Ireland to the places I was including in the story (for authenticity), I also researched ancient Irish texts and poems and had friends translate Gaelic when I couldn't find the translations. To say my Irish friends were annoyed with me by the end of it is an understatement. I like to research history and cultures of anything and everything, as it eventually trickles down into my fantasy and even sci-fi books.

Cheri: How do you select the names for your characters?

Katie: I say names out loud until it sounds right. Most of the time the names just come to me, fully formed and ready for use. Sometimes I smash two words together and see if it sounds right. I know, I'm lame.

Cheri: Do you hide secrets (or Easter Eggs) in your books for people to find?

Katie: The hardest scene for me to write was the ending of my sci-fi book, Beacons. But let's not speak of that. Let's let my publishing house think that I wrote the whole book effortlessly okay? It's our secret.

Cheri: What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?

Katie: Continued inspiration. If I'm not inspired I can't write. I can't just 'power through' the feeling. And un-inspiration can happen at any point while I'm writing the book. In the beginning, in the middle, at the end. I'll suddenly just hit a block and bam, I could literally care less for the characters and I lose their voice. It's not quite writer's block—it's far worse. It's the loss of motivation to care. Thankfully it doesn't happen all the time, but when it does it can last months. Writing isn't easy, guys.

Cheri: How long, on average, does it take you to write a book?

Katie: I mean....the first novel I wrote I wrote in a month and a half. I wrote my sci-fi (Beacons) in one month...and then it took a full year to write the last 30 pages because guess what? That's right, un-inspiration struck (but it was also coupled with writer's block for that particular story only. It was a double whammy and I hope never to experience it again).

Cheri: What is your favourite childhood book?

Katie: My favourite childhood book will always be the Alanna Series (or the 'Lioness Quartet' as it's officially called). It's the series that made me want to be a writer.

Cheri: Where/when do you find yourself most inspired?

Katie: Listening to music, watching the history or national geographics channel, hanging with friends, eating ice cream, taking walks in nature....I find inspiration in the most random of times and places, it's almost impossible to say that one place inspires me.

Cheri: Lastly, do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

Katie: You're going to hate me. It's okay, I get it. But here's my advice for those of you trying to get published (whether by traditional 'agent' means or digital presses): don't give up. So many people write whole novels and then don't submit them, or they submit them once and get rejected and never try again. Keep going. Also, please, please hire an editor or content editor to go through your manuscript. Yes, you have to pay them. Yes it's worth it. You're too close to your work (I know you think you're not. You are. Every writer is), and no matter what, you're going to miss things. Listen to fellow writers when they offer critiques (not baseless criticism that says 'I would write it this way'. Those are not your friends—or good writers), learn from your mistakes—and bad dialogue—and keep going. Seriously, don't give up. Keep persisting. Because for every ten thousand people that finish a story, one hundred people stick it out. Be one of those one hundred people.

Cheri: Thank you so much for answering my questions, Katie; it's been a pleasure having you!

Stay tuned for another edition of Cheri's 20 Questions coming at you next Thursday.

Welcome to Cheri's 20 Questions! My interviewee today is the ever-talented Meg Bonney. When she is not writing books, she has a corporate day job, two awesome kiddos, and she writes TV reviews and recaps for PureFandom.com. She doesn't have a ton of down time, but when she does, she likes to bake and go for walks around the pond near her house.

Hi Meg! Please tell us a little something about what you write: I write YA and am starting to dabble in mystery! My first book, Everly was published in 2016 and it’s sequel will be out this fall. My current YA series is set in a fictional fantasy world, but there are some very relevant themes popping up in Book 2, so that has been fun!

Interview Questions:Cheri:What is the first book that made you cry?

Meg: Charlotte’s Web. I was a sobbing mess after that one. I had no idea it was going to end that way and it broke my little heart.

Cheri: Does writing energize or exhaust you?

Meg: I would say it depends on what part of the writing process I am in. Writing without deadline or expectation is 100% energizing. Editing is exhausting. And I found writing a sequel to be a little more on the exhausting side because there is less freedom when you have to stick to your own source material, but it was still really fun.

Cheri: If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?

Meg: To use contractions! My day job is in the legal profession so I have a tendency to write everything out. That was something I had to go back and fix after I wrote Everly.

Cheri: How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?

Meg: I had more obligations for marketing so it was definitely an adjustment on my time. I had to find a balance so that I didn’t spend all of my time on marketing or all of it on writing. It has to be a good mix.

Cheri: What was the best money you ever spent as a writer?

Meg: I hired a freelance editor to take a look at my very first manuscript and give me some tips and pointers. I wasn’t ready to have my friends and family read it and I wanted an honest opinion.

Cheri: What was an early experience where you learned that language had power?

Meg: I think it was when I read Fahrenheit 451. It was a book I had to read in school, but it stuck with me for so long because of the message. In the book, they lived in a society that wanted to stop people from reading because (among other things), it encouraged so much independent thought. It really made me realize the power that books can have.

Cheri: What’s your favourite under-appreciated novel?

Meg: I feel like all of the Fear Street novels by RL Stine get brushed off as kids books, but they are so good. He has a way of connecting them all in tiny ways even though they are one offs. It shows such great attention to detail and it was something I loved as a kid/teen and I am even more impressed by as an adult.

Cheri: As a writer, what would you say is your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?

Meg: The writers I work with at PureFandom.com call me a Unicorn, but I am not really sure why. If I had to pick for myself, I would say a cat that never sleeps.

Cheri: How many published, unpublished, and half-finished books do you have?

Meg: I have way too many unfinished books and random chapters to count. I have one published book and another on the way. I am also working on a new mystery book idea.

Cheri: What does literary success look like to you?

Meg: I think it’s finding a fan base and connecting with readers. Getting published is great and all that, but if you don’t have that connection with your audience it just feels like you sending these stories into a giant void.

Cheri: What do you feel is the best way to market your books?

Meg: For me, it’s been twitter. I am trying to get more involved in my local market but it was a tough cookie to crack. I don’t actually have a book store in my town.

Cheri: What kind of research do you do, and how much time do you typically spend researching before beginning a new book?

Meg: With my current series, I didn’t have to do a ton of research. I did look up some things on fighting and weapons, but with a fantasy world, I got to really craft it on my own.

Cheri: How do you select the names for your characters?

Meg: I am not even sure how I came up with my main character names. I think they just sort of popped into my head. For most of the characters in the realm of Everly, I wanted them all to have elemental names or names that had meaning tied to nature. I didn’t want the names to be too out there, but I wanted them to feel a little different than the usual names in our world. My main character is Madison and it’s a name I have always liked. It’s just a strong name that can shorten to a cute nickname.

Cheri: Do you hide secrets (or Easter Eggs) in your books for people to find?

Meg: Absolutely. I think it’s fun as a reader to stumble across things like that so I try to do the same when I write. In Everly book 1, there are a few references to the TV show, Supernatural.

Cheri: What was your hardest scene to write?

Meg: It’s a scene in book 2, Rosewood Burning. Madison and Ara are underwater for a good amount of time. It’s not something a human could really do, so I did have to do some research to get the particulars about what reaction your body would have in that type of situation.

Cheri: What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?

Meg: Nit picking. I have a terrible habit of going back and picking at scenes and rewriting. I actually just did it to Book 2.

Cheri: How long, on average, does it take you to write a book?

Meg: I would say (without breaks) about 8 months.

Cheri: What is your favourite childhood book?

Meg: I loved the book The Hundred Dresseswhen I was a kid, but it was kind of sad. If we are going back to childhood, I would say any of the Bernstein Bear books.

Cheri: Where/when do you find yourself most inspired?

Meg: Anytime I am listening to music. Music is always my creative trigger.

Cheri: Lastly, do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

Meg: Don’t let your nerves stop you. It’s a crazy leap to let someone read your work because it’s like they are reading a little bit of your soul, but you should open yourself up. And always remember, you are your toughest critic. Be kind to yourself!

Cheri: Thank you so much for answering my questions, Meg, and letting us get to know you better! It's been a pleasure having you!

Honestly, this one was disappointing. I mean, it was steamy and all, but it was so sweet as to be boring. I wanted some kind of conflict at the beginning, something keeping them apart. Even if the author wanted to have them on good terms, some external source of conflict would have been good. But this book was just so sweet, Garrett and Callie jumped right back into their relationship from 17 years prior (which we never got to see). We don't get to see the relationship develop, we don't get to see their characters develop with each other, and we have no real push to move forward because we don't ever question that they'll end up together. Nothing really happens to them, and the one little blip, the one moment when I thought that there would be a juicy fight, it fizzled out immediately. I was hugely disappointed.

Additionally, I'm not accustomed to reading first person POV narratives, and I had difficulty getting used to the lack of scene-setting/world-building. I don't think I'll read another of Emma Chase's books, as while I imagine that there are superior stories to this one, I just can't get used to the style of writing.

I also can't quite see why this book was titled this way. There was no lesson for our hero or heroine to learn, so the "Schooled" part doesn't seem to fit, aside from the fact that they are teachers. But here, it implies that they're being taught a lesson. I don't know, I thought that the title sounds far more exciting than the book actually is, but that's probably just me.

That all being said, I like the little everyday bits that the author added into her writing, such as the interactions between the other teachers, Ollie, and their families. I also liked the parts with Snoopy, and W, and I liked that we got to see some of their lives in the epilogues (even though I was surprised that there was more than one).

If you're looking for something super sweet and sexy with basically zero conflict, this is the book for you.

I'd reached 34,000 words before it clicked in my brain that NaNoWriMo wasn't for me, and why. Now, I'll not dispute that that 34,000 words is likely more than I would have written had I not participated, but, for me, it's going to lead to a lot more work than I'm accustomed to.

As you all probably know, there are many different types of writers. Some plot out their whole novel in detail before they begin writing, while others like to start writing with nothing planned out beforehand. And, of course, there are a variety of writers in-between (which is where I fit in). There are likewise writers that make multiple drafts of their work before the final product is achieved, while others (like me) edit while they write, so that the first draft is the only draft.

Therein lay my problem. Being on a one month time crunch for 50,000 words, and being unable to re-read and edit what I'd written while I was writing it was causing me a remarkable amount of anxiety. It was beginning to impact my sleep and my ability to write anything new, as I had this continuous "frazzled and panicked" feeling when I went to put my hands to my keyboard. It took some reflection, but it quickly became apparent that this was not the competition for me.

Ultimately, I put my manuscript aside, and I turned my focus to the holidays and spending time with my kids and my family, knowing that once I do return to Fear and Fortitude, I will have to do a great deal of editing before I can resume writing. Now that we're nearing the end of the year, I'm feeling ready to tackle this project once more. In fact, I'm excited to get started, because this plot is something new and fun for me.

So this, my friends, is why I failed NaNoWriMo, and why I'll likely fail again. But that's ok. I accept my failure as a lesson, and honestly, I did get several genuinely good chapters out of it. Overall, I'm happy. Now, to get to re-reading my WIP and making some necessary changes.

I hope that you all had a lovely holiday season, and that you have a great New Year's Eve tomorrow!

This one was so close to being four stars, but there were a couple of issues that held me back.

As with every Lanyon book that I've read, there wasn't any romance. One sex scene, yes, but definitely not your average M/M romance. Especially the ending (which I have issues with in general); Sam and Jason's emotional aspect of the story ended very suddenly, much like everything else. We didn't see them part ways, but it was mentioned in retrospection. I found this frustrating.

On the topic of the ending, it was completely dissatisfying. I get that sometimes cliffhangers are necessary, but this whole book seemed like a means to put off the next book. It began and ended with the lead-in to the next in the series, with the little magician mystery thrown in the middle of it, sort of like a side mystery. In that sense, it just felt like the book was incomplete, rather than it being a cliffhanger.

Additionally, the way that the "mystery" was wrapped-up was very perfunctory. What happened with the art theft? Were they going to do anything with what they learned? And what of the killer? What was the motivation? I feel like it everything was brushed over so quickly that I didn't get a sense of a solid conclusion to any part of the mystery.

One more thing, why was Jason left alone at the end when it's well known that his life is in danger? Is this just for the purpose of the cliffhanger? I found this very aggravating.

What I *did* enjoy were the little interactions throughout the novel. There were some moments that were nice, and others that were exciting. Overall, it was decent, and I'll read the next in the series.

Every author has their own method of writing, and preparing to write. Some authors might just put their hands to the keyboard (or their pen/pencil to paper) and let the words flow, the characters and story taking shape as they go, while others thoroughly consider every single nuance of the yet untold story before they finally write it down. And naturally, there are varying degrees of authors that fit in-between.

For me, I generally have my beginning and ending solid in my mind, and I've plotted out some key moments that I know must happen throughout the middle. I have my characters' outlines, I have places and descriptions, visual inspirations, and research at the ready before I put my hands to my keyboard. Aside from those few plot points, I generally let my hero and heroine tell me where they want to go. I write out detailed plot points roughly a chapter at a time as ideas come to me, but even those notes are largely dictated by my characters. I've never truly been in control of a story, and when I've tried, my characters have rebelled, and my writing went to a stand-still while I attempted to sort out what I'd done wrong.

As some of you might know, this is my first time participating in NaNoWriMo. It'll also be the fastest that I'll ever have had to write a novel, which is troubling. What I've come to realize, is that I need to pre-plot the novel in more detail so that I spend less time considering what my characters want. My challenge, therefore, is figuring out how to control the story without my characters jumping in the way while I'm in the middle of writing during November.

That's where I'm currently at. Still doing my other work, but also trying to sort this out before I submerge myself in the spirit of NaNoWriMo. I'd genuinely never considered how much preparation went into it before now, and I feel like I really should have known. I have a huge amount of respect for people that do this every year. This is a big, big deal.

DNF at 77%. I'll be quick, because I genuinely don't want to dwell on this novel any more than I have to. I had to force myself to read this far because I bought the thing and didn't want to waste my money, but I just can't go any further.

The sex scenes, while plentiful, are almost mechanical and a bit blasé. I wanted to see some heat, some passion between these two, but just like Alan's character, his sex was dull as dirt. What it really needed was some emotion. It felt devoid of feeling, entirely, and even though this was bordering on a historical erotica novel, I did still want to be romanced. Jem might have been hired as a whore, but with Alan he shouldn't have been acting like one, at least not after that first night.

Alan was a two-dimensional character that did absolutely nothing for the book. Jem was honestly the only thing I liked about this story. He was bright and vibrant, and I genuinely couldn't see what he saw in Alan. So much more to say here, but I just don't want to bother getting into it. Put simply, there was zero chemistry, zero emotion, and that left me with zero interest.

The plot, like the sex, was mechanical and predictable. It was so dashed boring, I fell asleep reading it several times, and the only time that's happened before was over a decade ago when I was in university studying for tests late into the night. It felt like the plot about the girl and the doctor was brought in because the authors couldn't think of any other way to get the heroes to do something that's not sex together. The villain was two-dimensional, and the little sprite was the only female in the whole book that gets a line.

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I struggle to know where to begin with this review. I've never read anything by Aleksandr Voinov before, but based on my experience with this novel, I'm absolutely certain that I'll read another.

I feel like this story was important, that it needed to be told. So much of it rang true that I imagine a lot of research went into writing it. I have a lot of respect for Voinov for that.

What I'm struggling with, is how to put into words how I feel about the story. There was so much that I liked and that I found necessary, and yet there were some aspects that felt slightly incomplete. I understand that the passage of time was required, but I found that time was fluid in this novel, and I couldn't quite keep track of how much time was elapsing. How long was Yves with Heinrich and Falk? We see their first romantic encounters, and then all of the sudden, months seem to have passed with very little explanation. I found this a bit frustrating, most particularly when Yves and Heinrich's relationship began to cool (because we didn't see much in the way of their intimate relationship to begin with, and I couldn't tell the difference when they'd begun to lose interest), and it suddenly felt like months or years had passed, but I had no way of knowing.

Following along the last note, I also wished that we would have seen more of Falk and Yves. I adored how they interacted, and am ultimately disappointed that I didn't get to see more of it. I realize that the romance wasn't the purpose of this novel, and that's fine, but a bit more than those few blinks of romance would have been nice.

My frustration aside, this was a brilliant novel. It was heart-wrenching and painful, but also so artfully written and romantic. It might have been fiction, but with so much fact and history put in, it really felt like it could have been real, which made it all the more painful.